1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the production of apparel created from laminates, including those having a complex textile structure on the sealing side of the laminate, where the seams are in a seam region of a textile woven with a thinner thickness than a non-seam region. The invention also relates to articles made according to such a production method. In one embodiment, the seams are waterproof.
2. Description of the Background Art
The use of coated textile composites or laminates of textiles and liquid protective barrier membrane layers to create apparel is known in the industry. The most common of these applications is waterproof breathable apparel. Coated textiles can also be used in textile composites for these same purposes. Coated textiles, protective barrier membranes, and protective barrier films will be collectively referred to hereafter as “laminates” solely for convenience of description.
Pieces or panels of these laminates are joined together to form garments and other similar textile structures. For the garments to be liquidproof and protective, there is a need to seal the seams where the panels of laminate are joined together. The joining of these laminate panels is typically done by first sewing the laminates together using conventional sewing techniques. Liquidproof sealing of these sewn seams is then accomplished by the application of a seam seal tape having a thermoplastic hot melt adhesive which seals to the surface of the coating or protective barrier film and creates a seal over the sewing holes and the area where the layers join between the stitches. The seam seal tape may be heated, for example, using a nozzle to direct a stream of hot air so as to melt the adhesive. The tape is then applied over the seam and both are passed through the nip of a pair of pressure rollers in order to squeeze the molten adhesive onto the protective layer surface to ensure good bonding of the tape to the surface. For aesthetic reasons, the seam sealing tape is generally applied to the interior of a garment so that it is hidden from view. Less common sealing techniques such as gluing and welding are also known in the art.
The use of textile constructions with three layers, and possibly even more layers in some instances, creates added difficulty in forming a liquidproof seam. Not only does a seal need to reach the protective barrier layer surface, but also the structure of the textile itself needs to be sealed or encapsulated to prevent liquid from wicking or seeping along the textile fibers and exiting beyond the boundary of the liquidproof seam. Thus, the seam sealing of such three-layer fabrics, such as those having a complex textile structure for the inner lining layer, has posed significant problems in the art.
One background art solution is shown in FIGS. 1-4. FIG. 1 shows a triple laminate material 10 including a complex textile layer 12 on the sealing side 18, a barrier layer 14 and a second textile layer 16, which may or may not comprise a complex textile. FIG. 2 shows the textile laminate panel of FIG. 1 with a portion of the complex textile layer 12 completely removed by skiving to reveal sealing region 20. Two or more textile laminate panels are then joined at their respective sealing regions 20 to form a liquidproof seam as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. However, this solution creates additional problems and complexities.
In another background art example, FIG. 5 shows a two layer laminate panel 30A with a complex textile layer 12 having a portion removed by skiving and a barrier layer 14 joined to a two layer laminate panel 30B. An adhesive 32 joins the skived areas of the two panels together. The sealed region is folded over and a second adhesive 34 holds the folded portion to the surface of the joined laminate panel structure.
Initially, the present inventors realized that adding a skiving step creates additional expense as skiving machines would be needed to create garments with this type of seam. Further, by skiving off all of textile layer 20, the background art solution creates the possibility that layer 12 may peel off of layer 14 during use. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, layer 12 does not extend to stitches 22, and thus may peel back from layer 14 during use. Thus, the present inventors saw the need to keep at least some of layer 12 across the entire surface of the material, and to eliminate the need for skiving machines.